Sick Days
by starbuckfaerie21
Summary: The stomach flu makes the rounds in the Goran-Reid household.


Sick Days

 **Disclaimer:** Sadly, I own neither _Saving Hope_ nor Daniel Gillies.

 **Pairing:** Alex & Joel

 **Rating: T**

 **Summary:** The stomach flu makes the rounds in the Goran-Reid household.

Joel Goran walked into the house to find Alex seated on the couch with six year old Luke asleep in her lap, and three year old Charlotte, slumbering against her shoulder. The day before Alex had gotten a call that her son had gotten sick at school. She'd picked him up from school and taken Charlotte home from daycare.

Her daughter had thrown up in the car on the way home.

Today had been Alex's day off. And she'd been home taking care of both sick kids plus baby Theo.

 _She looks exhausted._

But Joel couldn't help but smile at the sight of Alex cradling their sleeping children.

"Hey Reid. How are they doing?" Joel asked, as he came through the front door, keeping his voice barely above a whisper so he wouldn't wake them.

Alex sighed, "I made them soup. They threw up. I gave them Pepto. They threw up. I gave them both a bath. They threw up. I finally got their fevers down and they just fell asleep about an hour ago."

Joel nodded and gave her a sympathetic look, as he leaned forward to kiss her, "What about Theo?"

Alex flashed him a half smile, "Fast asleep with no fever. Thank God. This is a nasty bug. It's bad enough that Luke and Charlotte got it. I hope the baby doesn't get it too. And for the record you probably don't want to kiss me. I probably smell like puke."

Joel gave her one of his trademark grins, "I'll take my chances."

He replied giving her a long, passionate kiss.

"Dr. Goran, what was that for?" Alex asked, smiling.

"I missed you, Dr. Reid. Sorry you had such a tough day."

Alex shrugged, "I just wish there was something more I could do. I hate it when they're sick."

 _She's such a good mother._

"I know," Joel replied, lifting his sleeping daughter from Alex's shoulder into his arms. "Do you think it's safe to take them up to bed?"

"If not we'll know in about fifteen minutes." Alex answered, slowly getting to her feet, while balancing the weight of her sleeping son in her arms.

"How was your day?" She asked as she followed him upstairs.

"Not nearly as exciting as yours, Reid." Joel replied.

And although she couldn't see his face she could hear the humor in his voice.

Joel went into his daughter's room and pulled back the covers before laying her gently in the bed.

"I don't feel good, Daddy. My tummy hurts." Charlotte mumbled sleepily, reaching for her father's hand.

"I know it does, angel. And I'm sorry." Joel said, kissing her tiny forehead, both to comfort her and check her temperature. "But try to rest now and you'll start to feel better."

Charlotte nodded, and snuggled more deeply into the covers, "Goodnight Daddy. I love you."

"Goodnight Charlotte. I love you, too." Joel replied, leaving the door cracked open slightly so the light from the hall could filter into his daughter's bedroom.

"Charlotte's down." Joel said, as he walked into the master bedroom and found Alex pulling the ponytail from her hair, preparing to take a shower.

"Luke too. Poor little man's exhausted. I'm going to shower. Unless of course, the smell of vomit turns you on."

Joel smiled, "On you, Reid. Anything turns me on."

It was Alex's turn to smile, "Joel Goran you're such a liar. But I love you."

"And I love you," Joel replied, appreciating the view as his wife walked naked into their master bathroom.

"Hey, we haven't had a dirty weekend in a while. How 'bout we pencil one in when the kids are feeling better?"

"You're on." Alex said, just before she closed the door and turned on the shower.

Joel was asleep by the time Alex climbed into bed beside him.

Two days later, the kids were finally well and Alex had washed all the bedding, linens, and towels to get all traces of the flu virus out of the house.

 _Or so she thought._

Alex was so tired that she had no idea how she'd even driven home. She got out of the car and slowly made her way to the front door, her vision swimming slightly as she went.

"Hey Reid," Joel called, peeking in from the kitchen, and letting out a low whistle when he saw her.

"Whoa, look at you. Tough shift?"

Alex nodded, "Are the kids…"

Those were the only words she could get out as the room spun and the hardwood floor rushed to meet her.

 _Or it would've if Joel hadn't crossed the room and caught her just seconds before she fell._

"I've got you, Alex. I've got you." Joel whispered, in her ear brushing a kiss against her neck.

Alex could only nod, letting her husband carry her upstairs

"You're hot, Reid," He said as her reached out to touch her soft skin.

 _Too hot._

 _She must have the same virus the kids had._

 _And it's no wonder they've been sick for days._

 _I'd have been surprised if she didn't get it._

"Let's get that fever down, Reid." Joel said, carrying her directly into the master bathroom and undressing her, despite the fact that her clothes stuck to her overheated, sweat- soaked skin.

 _Any other time undressing my wife would be a major turn on._

He thought as he reached over and turned the shower on as cold as he could stand and removed his shirt, and jeans holding Alex against his body under the cold spray.

"Luke…" Alex whispered.

"He's fine, Alex. I promise. He and Charlotte are both in bed. And so is Theo. C'mon, let's cool you down."

"Luke…you were right…It was always Joel…It's always going to be Joel."

 _She's not talking about our son._

 _The fever's making her delirious._

 _She's talking to her brother Luke._

 _Her dead brother Luke._

"Luke, where's Joel?" Alex mumbled, her feverish words running together as the cold spray of the shower rained down on both of them.

Joel held Alex in his arms, praying that the cold water would break through both her fever and her delirium, even as she mumbled his name, almost incoherently.

"Joel…"

"I'm here, Alex. I'm right here. Just listen to my voice and take long, slow breaths. You're going to be okay. Do you hear me, Alex Reid?"

After a moment, Alex seemed to come back to herself, as she looked at her husband and recognition dawned.

"Joel?" Alex whispered, the fever making her unable to trust her own eyes.

He put his hands on both of her shoulders, as if to ground her, his fingers slipping against her wet skin, even as he nodded.

"Yeah it's me, I'm here," He answered softly, pulling her close enough to kiss her still feverish forehead.

"I saw Luke…He was here…I swear I'm not crazy…" She said shivering against the spray of the cold shower.

He shook his head, "No. That's the fever, Reid. It's making you see things." Joel replied, turning off the shower and wrapping a towel around them both.

"Joel, baby, I'm cold..." Alex whispered, as he lifted her from the shower.

He nodded, "Yeah, that's a good sign. It means the fever's breaking. I'm gonna run and get you some clothes all right?"

She nodded and watched him leave the bathroom as an overwhelming wave of nausea came over her.

She managed to crawl from her spot on the floor next to the tub to the toilet, just before the vomiting began.

Seconds later Joel came running into the bathroom, wincing at the sight of his wife on the tile floor vomiting.

He dropped Alex's clothes on the counter and sat on the floor behind Alex, holding back her hair.

"It reminds me of when I was pregnant with Charlotte." Alex whispered, leaning heavily against Joel.

"That bad huh? I'm sorry, love. Can I get you anything?"

 _She'd had terrible morning sickness when she'd carried their daughter._

Alex shook her head, groaning in pain. "Just hold me, Joel _please_?"

Joel nodded, resting his chin against her collarbone, "Yes ma'am. I'm right here." He said, pressing his palm against her forehead. "Alex, you're still burning up."

She was about to reply, but then started throwing up again instead.

"Oh God," Alex moaned, barely able to catch her breath between bouts of vomiting.

When she lifted her head, Joel held a cold, damp, cloth over her face.

 _It felt like heaven._

 _I love this man so much._

 _He always knows just what I need._

 _He always knows just what I want._

 _Sometimes even before I do._

She wanted to tell him all of this but the only two words she could manage to whisper were, "Dirty weekend" as her head fell back against his shoulder.

She felt the vibration of his laughter against her body, relishing in the sensation of his lips on her neck.

"Let's pencil it in as soon as you're feeling better." 


End file.
